Recent events in Canada suggest its government could be well positioned to become an early mainstream adopter of Bitcoin. Thursday, Nov. 17 recorded the biggest attendance ever at the Toronto Bitcoin meet-up. Earlier on the same day was a meeting between Jason Cassidy, president at Crypto Consultant, who is quickly becoming a Bitcoin ambassador in Canada and the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). The meeting was a move to work with the commission towards cryptocurrency legislation in Canada. He says: “Bitcoin and Blockchain awareness appears to be reaching a tipping point in Canada.” Everyone seems to be involved Cassidy explains that the increased interest in the world’s first truly decentralized digital currency seems not to be limited to enthusiasts and tech pioneers. The Government of Ontario is now taking an active role in helping to shape future legislation for Bitcoin and digital currencies, a trend that he says will become commonplace over the next few years as mainstream acceptance becomes a reality. Cassidy describes this development as groundbreaking steps in the right direction, as it opens the door for collaboration with various levels of government. “We are now at a point where, to grow the ecosystem further, we must work diligently …

The U.S. government is seeking the identity of Coinbase users for tax purposes, sparking fears that Bitcoin’s anonymity may be compromised. According to a legal summons filed in the Northern California District Court, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seeks to identify several Coinbase users and their financial activity, based on evidence that they may have violated U.S. tax laws: “Based upon a review of the petition and supporting documents, the Court has determined that the “John Doe” summons to Coinbase, Inc. relates to the investigation of an ascertainable group or class of persons, that there is a reasonable basis for believing that such group or class of persons has failed or may have failed to comply with any provision of any internal revenue laws, and that the information sought to be obtained from the examination of the records or testimony (and the identities of the persons with respect to whose liability the summons is issued) are not readily available from other sources.” As indicated by the summons, two things are clear: one, the IRS has tracked Bitcoin-related activity sufficiently to be able to determine that certain users may not be in compliance with tax law, and two, this activity …

Yes, I’m talking to you. Yes, I’m talking about your country, whether it is Russia, China, or the United States. The more modern and advanced your economy, the faster it is coming your way. The discussions have been going on for a couple of years now on how to do it. The only question is when to spring it on the masses. If you are in a less than a state-of-the-art economy, like Pakistan or Guam, you probably have a lot more time left with the paper. Most of us aren’t so lucky. Cash has been on the clock in the most advanced nations for years, with central banks limiting how much cash you can get, even from your own account. Limits have been dropping to as low as 5000 units of paper in some nations, and even then you will have to surrender your ID or go through some level of interrogation. The future of money does not include paper, and here are four reasons why digital currencies will become your official national currency. Reason #1 – The best way to control a nation is to control its money supply Governments are all about control. Whether it is doling out …

With the recent announcement of the Blockchain Alliance “A Public-Private Forum to Help Combat Criminal Activity on the Blockchain” founded by Coin Center and the Chamber of Digital Commerce, CoinTelegraph highlights some recent events overlooked by the Bitcoin industry that immediately precipitated the announcement including an FBI “playbook” and European seizure survey. Ever since Let’s Talk Bitcoin broke the story in June 2013 that the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) seized 11.02 bitcoin from a bitcoin user, the internet has been aflutter what exactly it means to seize bitcoin and the extent of control that law enforcement has over everyone’s favorite cryptocurrency. At the time, Bitcoin superstar Andreas M. Antonopoulos stated that “There is no indication the Bitcoin protocol was compromised. “Seizure” is probably a word used to imply that money was received in the process of a Silk Road sting operation, rather than actually bitcoin seized from the user’s wallet.” Andreas’ words still hold true today. At its core, literally Bitcoin core, it is not possible to seize bitcoin. However, it is possible to seize bitcoin depending on how a Bitcoin user interacts with the cryptocurrency (including sending it to law enforcement unbeknownst to the user — as was likely …